JP6504305B2 - Ink supply system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink supply container for supplying ink to an ink tank which internally stores ink supplied to a recording apparatus, an ink supply system including such an ink supply container, and such an ink supply system. The ink supply adapter used in

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ink tank storing ink internally is connected to a recording apparatus that ejects ink onto a medium to perform recording, so that the ink can be supplied. Then, when the remaining amount of ink in the ink tank becomes small in such a recording apparatus, the ink is replenished to the ink tank from the outside using an ink supply container (for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2001-146021 A

  By the way, although it is necessary to appropriately perform the operation of supplying the ink to the ink tank by suppressing the defective supply of the ink and the like, the user of the recording apparatus has conventionally performed such a supply operation. Therefore, in order for the ink supply operation to be properly performed by the user, further improvement is required, for example, in the ink supply container.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its object is to provide an ink supply container capable of appropriately supplying ink to an ink tank, an ink supply system including such an ink supply container, and such an ink. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply adapter used in a supply system.

Hereinafter, the means for solving the above-mentioned subject and its operation effect are described.
An ink supply container that solves the above problems is an ink supply container that supplies ink to an ink tank capable of storing ink therein, and has a container main body having an ink storage chamber capable of containing the ink supplied to the ink tank. An ink outlet forming portion provided at an end of the container body and having an ink outlet for enabling the ink to flow out of the ink storage chamber; and an ink outlet forming portion provided at the ink outlet forming portion And a valve for sealing the outlet in an openable and closable manner, wherein the ink outlet forming portion is closer to the container body side than the valve in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet outside the ink outlet forming portion. A positioning portion at a position where the positioning portion abuts against a portion on the ink tank side when the valve is opened to position the valve with respect to the ink tank .

  According to this configuration, the valve is opened in a state of being positioned relative to the ink tank when the ink is replenished from the ink supply container to the ink tank, which may occur when the valve is misaligned at the time of valve opening. Problems such as ink leakage and defective ink supply can be suppressed, and the ink can be appropriately supplied to the ink tank.

  Further, in the ink supply container, the valve is opened by providing one or more slits in an elastic member for sealing the ink outlet, and the slit is pushed inward from the outside of the ink outlet. It is preferable that

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an ink supply container with a simple structure with a small number of parts.
In the ink supply container, preferably, the positioning portion is provided radially outward of the ink outlet when the ink outlet is viewed in the direction of its central axis.

  According to this configuration, at the time of ink replenishment from the ink replenishment container to the ink tank, the ink replenishment container abuts on a part of the ink tank side in a state where the positioning portion is positioned radially outward of the ink outlet. Therefore, the ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

Further, in the ink supply container, it is preferable that the positioning portion is configured as a separate member from the ink outlet forming portion.
According to this configuration, the positioning portion can be optimized according to the design aspect of the ink tank and the ink supply container.

  On the other hand, an ink supply system that solves the above problems includes an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, a needle extending with a flow path communicating the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber, and an extending direction of the needle An ink tank having a receiving surface extending at a position outside the tip of the needle and extending in a direction crossing the extending direction of the needle, the receiving surface constituting the part on the ink tank side; An ink supply container, wherein the positioning unit abuts on the receiving surface when the needle inserts a tip into the ink outlet to open the valve.

  According to this configuration, when the needle of the ink tank is inserted into the ink outlet of the ink supply container and the valve is opened, the positioning portion of the ink supply container is in contact with the receiving surface of the ink tank and the valve and the needle are relative to each other. Since the relative positional relationship is determined, the valve can be opened appropriately by the needle, and the occurrence of the ink replenishment failure can be suppressed.

  Further, in the above ink supply system, the ink tank has a recess which opens in a direction in which the needle extends in a region which is to the outside of the needle in a radial direction centered on the needle, and the ink supply container It is preferable to have a convex portion which can be fitted to the concave portion when the needle inserts a tip into the ink outlet in a region which is outside the ink outlet in a radial direction around the ink outlet.

  According to this configuration, since the needle is not inserted into the ink outlet when the convex portion of the ink supply container does not fit in the concave portion of the ink tank, improper connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container can be suppressed.

  In the ink supply system, the ink supply container is positioned outside the ink outlet forming portion and at a position closer to the container body portion than the convex portion in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet. It is preferable to provide a part.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure the insertion state of the needle of the ink tank with respect to the ink outlet of the ink supply container in an appropriate positioning state while suppressing the improper connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container.

In the ink supply system, it is preferable that in the ink tank, the tip of the needle be positioned closer to the ink storage chamber than the receiving surface.
According to this configuration, since the tip of the ink tank needle does not protrude outside the receiving surface, even if ink is attached to the tip of the needle, the user's hand or the hand of the user who performs the ink supply operation The risk of sticking to the ink supply container can be reduced.

  Further, in the ink supply system, the ink tank includes two flow paths in which the flow paths of the needles are arranged in the radial direction with the tip openings of the flow paths as centers of the needles. When one flow path functions as an ink flow path for flowing ink, the other flow path preferably functions as an air flow path for flowing air.

  According to this configuration, when the ink supply container is connected to the ink tank in a state where the ink supply container is inclined along the radial direction in which the two flow paths are aligned from the extending direction of the needle, the ink in the ink supply container of the two flow paths One flow path on the side where the outlet approaches earlier functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path. Therefore, since the user may use any one of the two flow paths as the ink flow path, the user can quickly perform the ink replenishment operation without having to select the flow path to be the ink flow path in a stray manner. it can.

  Furthermore, another ink supply system that solves the above problems includes an ink storage chamber that can store ink, an ink inlet that allows ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and a radial direction centered on the ink inlet. And an ink reservoir having a recess formed in an area outside the ink inlet, an ink storage chamber capable of storing the ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and the outflow of the ink from the ink storage chamber An ink supply container having an ink outlet, and a protrusion formed to be engageable with the recess in a region radially outside the ink outlet centered on the ink outlet; The ink tank has a first uneven portion at a position closer to the bottom surface than the opening edge of the depressed portion on the inner surface of the depressed portion, and the ink supply container is engaged with the first uneven portion of the ink tank The second concave-convex portion capable provided on the convex portion.

  According to this configuration, the convex portion of the ink supply container is fitted into the concave portion of the ink tank, and the second concave and convex portion of the outer surface of the convex portion is engaged with the first concave and convex portion on the inner surface of the concave portion. The user can recognize that a compatible ink supply container has been connected to the tank. Therefore, the improper connection between the ink tank and the ink supply container can be suppressed, and the first uneven portion is located at the bottom surface side of the opening edge of the recess on the inner surface of the recess of the ink tank. The convex portion of the container is easily guided from the opening side of the concave portion of the ink tank to the bottom side, and the insertion work can be easily performed.

  In the ink supply system, in the ink tank, the depth direction of the recess is the direction of the central axis of the ink inlet, and the first uneven portion is along the depth direction of the recess on the inner surface of the recess. Provided so that the ink supply container fits the convex portion into the concave portion and engages the second uneven portion with the first uneven portion, the ink outlet is connected to the ink inlet Preferably connected to

  According to this configuration, the second uneven portion of the outer surface of the convex portion in the ink supply container is recessed with respect to the first uneven portion provided on the inner surface of the concave portion of the ink tank so as to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion. The engagement direction of the ink outlet of the ink supply container with respect to the ink inlet of the ink tank can be easily recognized by engaging with the fitting of the convex portion to the ink container.

  In the ink supply system, it is preferable that the depth direction of the recess in the ink tank is a direction from the top to the bottom intersecting the horizontal direction in a state where the ink outlet is connected to the ink inlet. .

  According to this configuration, when the ink outlet of the ink supply container is connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, it is possible to suppress the return of the ink from the ink outlet of the ink supply container into the ink storage chamber, and the ink tank to the ink container It is possible to properly perform the ink supply operation to the

  Furthermore, another ink supply system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet enabling ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank provided with a plurality of first fitting portions formed to be point symmetrical with respect to the ink inlet in a region outside the ink inlet in a direction, and the ink to be supplied to the ink tank The first fitting is possible in an ink storage chamber that can be stored, an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out of the ink storage chamber, and an area that is outside the ink outlet in a radial direction centered on the ink outlet. And an ink supply container including a second fitting portion formed to be engageable with the portion.

  According to this configuration, the ink supply container is engaged with any one of the plurality of first fittings formed point-symmetrically with respect to the ink inlet in the ink tank. Since the ink outlet of the ink supply container can be connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, the operation of connecting the ink supply container to the ink tank can be easily performed at the time of ink supply.

  Furthermore, another ink supply system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet enabling ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank including a first fitting portion formed in an area outside the ink inlet in a direction, an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and an ink storage chamber from the ink storage chamber A second fitting portion formed to be engageable with the first fitting portion in an ink outlet which enables the ink to flow out, and a region which is outside the ink outlet in a radial direction centering on the ink outlet And an ink supply container, the ink tank having a first portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber, wherein the ink supply container is provided in the ink storage chamber. Containment A second portion indicating information related to the ink, the first portion and the second portion fitting the second fitting portion of the ink supply container to the first fitting portion of the ink tank It is provided at a position where it can be viewed from the outside when it is engaged.

  According to this configuration, when the ink supply container is connected to the ink tank to supply the ink, whether the ink to be supplied is compatible or not can be easily viewed by visually recognizing the first portion and the second portion. It can confirm.

  Furthermore, another ink supply system that solves the above-mentioned problems includes an ink storage chamber capable of storing ink, an ink inlet enabling ink to flow into the ink storage chamber, and radiation centered on the ink inlet. An ink tank including a recess formed in an area outside the ink inlet in a direction, an ink storage chamber capable of storing the ink to be supplied to the ink tank, and the outflow of the ink from the ink storage chamber An ink supply container comprising: an ink outlet for enabling the ink supply; and a convex portion formed to be engageable with the recess in a region radially outside the ink outlet centered on the ink outlet; In the ink supply container, the convex portion protrudes in the direction opposite to the ink storage chamber than the ink outlet in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet.

  According to this configuration, at the time of ink replenishment, in the ink supply container, the convex portion protrudes more than the ink outlet, so that the possibility of the ink outlet touching the user's hand or the peripheral portion of the ink tank can be reduced. The occurrence of contamination due to adhesion can be suppressed.

  Conversely, it is also possible to make the ink outlet project in the direction opposite to the ink storage chamber in the direction of the central axis than the convex portion. In that case, it becomes easy to visually recognize the ink outlet at the time of ink replenishment.

  Further, in the ink supply system, the ink supply container is such that the convex portion protrudes outward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion provided with the ink storage chamber in the radial direction centering on the ink outlet. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, the user can easily visually recognize the convex portion when looking at the ink supply container, and it becomes easy to fit the convex portion of the ink supply container with the concave portion of the ink tank at the time of ink supply. As a result, erroneous connection of the ink supply container to the ink tank can be reduced.

  Further, in the above ink supply system, the ink supply container is formed such that the convex portion is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion in which the ink storage chamber is provided in a radial direction centering on the ink outlet. Is preferred.

According to this configuration, when the ink outlet of the ink supply container is connected to the ink inlet of the ink tank, the convex portion of the ink supply container can be made difficult to interfere with.
Furthermore, an ink supply adapter that solves the above problems is an ink supply adapter that connects between the ink supply container and the ink tank when supplying ink from the ink supply container to the ink tank. A plurality of ink tanks each having a storable ink storage chamber can be engaged in a state where they are put together, a tank engaging portion, and the ink flowing out from the ink outlet of the ink supply container into the ink storage chamber A plurality of ink inlets provided for each ink tank so as to allow inflow, and the ink supply container provided with each ink inlet and having the ink outlet connectable to the ink inlet can be identified And a plurality of identification units.

  According to this configuration, the ink tank has a common common structure, and if the plurality of ink tanks are put together and the tank engaging portion of the replenishment adapter is engaged, the ink replenishing container is replenished when the ink is replenished. It is possible to easily realize a structure capable of suppressing the erroneous attachment of the.

  Furthermore, another ink supply adapter that solves the above problems is an ink supply adapter that is mounted on the ink tank in a state where the ink is supplied from the ink supply container to the ink tank, and the ink is used as the ink An inlet formation portion which can pass through the ink inlet flow passage portion provided in the ink tank so as to be able to flow into the ink storage chamber provided in the tank, and which surrounds at least a part of the periphery of the ink inlet flow passage portion; An adapter-side positioning portion capable of engaging with a tank-side positioning portion provided in the ink tank and positioning the ink supply adapter with respect to the ink tank; and an ink connectable to the ink inlet flow path portion And an identification unit capable of identifying the ink supply container having the outlet.

  According to this configuration, since the ink supply adapter is positioned with respect to the ink tank, positional deviation between the ink inlet flow passage portion provided in the ink tank and the inlet formation portion provided in the ink supply adapter is suppressed. Be done. Therefore, the ink supply container can appropriately supply the ink to the ink tank through the ink supply adapter.

  Preferably, in the ink supply adapter, the plurality of inlet formation portions, the identification portion corresponding to the plurality of inlet formation portions, and the plurality of adapter side positioning portions are integrally formed. .

  According to this configuration, since the inlet formation portion, the identification portion, and the adapter side positioning portion are integrally formed, the ink supply adapter can be easily manufactured as compared with the case where these are separately formed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a recording apparatus in a see-through state. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an ink supply unit provided in a housing of the recording apparatus. Similarly the top view of an ink supply unit. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3; The partially broken surface view of the 5-5 line arrow in FIG. The perspective view of the ink supply container in the state where the cap was removed. The side view of the ink supply container. Front view of the ink supply container. The top view of an ink supply container. 10-10 arrow sectional drawing in FIG. 11-11 arrow sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state immediately before the ink supply operation for the ink tank. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state immediately before the ink supply operation for the ink tank. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state during the ink supply operation for the ink tank. FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state during the ink supply operation for the ink tank. FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway front view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink supply container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink supply. FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway side view showing a state in which the positioning portion of the ink supply container is in contact with the receiving surface on the ink tank side during ink supply. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a multifunction peripheral including the recording device of the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multifunction peripheral showing how ink is supplied to the ink tank. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the ink supply unit with the housing removed. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the ink tank. Partial plan view of the ink tank. FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the ink supply unit. FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the ink supply unit. FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the lower surface side of the ink supply adapter. Bottom view of the ink supply adapter. The F27-F27 line arrow sectional drawing in FIG. The F28-F28 line arrow sectional drawing in FIG. The side view of the ink supply container of a modification. The front view of the ink supply container of a modification. The perspective view of the ink supply container of another modification. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ink supply unit according to a modification. The perspective view of the adapter for ink supply of a modification. The partial perspective view of the ink supply container of a modification. The top view of the ink outlet of a modification, and the 2nd unevenness part. The fragmentary sectional view of the ink supply container and cap of a modification. The schematic cross section of the ink outlet and sealing part of a modification.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the recording apparatus of this embodiment is an ink jet printer that performs recording (printing) of an image or the like on a medium by discharging ink to the medium.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recording apparatus 21 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 22 whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction. Note that FIG. 1 schematically shows the inside of the housing 22 of the recording device 21 in a transparent manner. A support 23 whose longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction is provided at a lower portion closer to the rear in the housing 22 so that the upper surface thereof is substantially horizontal. The sheet P, which is an example of the medium, is supported by the upper surface of the support 23 and transported forward in the transport direction. Further, a guide shaft 24 extending in the left-right direction is provided above the support 23 in the housing 22. A carriage 26 is provided on the lower surface side with a recording head 25 for discharging ink on the guide shaft 24. Is supported. That is, the carriage 26 is supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction with respect to the guide shaft 24 in a state where the guide shaft 24 is inserted into the support hole 27 penetrating in the left-right direction.

  Further, a drive pulley 28 and a driven pulley 29 are rotatably supported at positions near the both ends of the guide shaft 24 in the housing 22. An output shaft of the carriage motor 30 is connected to the drive pulley 28, and an endless timing belt 31 partially connected to the carriage 26 is wound between the drive pulley 28 and the driven pulley 29. . Then, when the carriage 26 is reciprocated along the left-right direction which is the scanning direction for the sheet P while being guided by the guide shaft 24 via the timing belt 31 by the drive of the carriage motor 30, the carriage 26 is transported forward on the support 23 Ink is discharged onto the sheet P from the recording head 25 on the lower surface side of the carriage 26 with respect to the sheet P to be printed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, at a position on the front side of the housing 22 that is on the front side of the support 23, the ink from the recording head 25 is conveyed on the support 23 in the housing 22. A rectangular discharge port 32 for discharging the sheet P, which has been recorded by the discharge, to the front side is opened. The discharge port 32 is provided with a rectangular plate-like discharge tray 33 capable of supporting the sheet P discharged from the inside of the housing 22 so as to be able to protrude and retract in the forward direction which is the discharge direction. Further, a sheet feeding cassette 34 capable of accommodating a plurality of sheets P used for recording in a stacked state is detachably mounted in the front-rear direction below the discharge tray 33 in the discharge port 32.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the front surface and the upper surface are rectangular at a position on the front surface of the housing 22 and on the end side (right end in FIG. 1) of the discharge port 32 in the left-right direction. An open / close door 35 whose right side is in the shape of a right triangle is provided so as to be able to open and close in the front-rear direction with a rotary shaft 36 along the left-right direction provided at its lower end. A window 37 formed of a rectangular transparent member is formed on the front of the open / close door 35, and the user closes the open / close door 35 (in particular, the back of the front of the open / close door 35) ) Is visible.

  The ink is supplied to the recording head 25 at a position on the back side of the open / close door 35, that is, at a position near the front and near the end (in this case, near the right end) in the housing 22 of the recording device 21. The ink supply unit 40 is accommodated. The ink supply unit 40 is a structure including a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) ink tanks 41 to 45 and capable of being handled integrally, and as described later, each ink tank 41 to 45 The ink can be replenished.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink supply unit 40 includes five ink tanks 41 to 45 which are long and deformed in the front-rear direction, and five ink supplies drawn from the rear side of the ink tanks 41 to 45. It is configured to include a tube 46 and a rectangular parallelepiped ink supply adapter 47 assembled in a state where the ink tanks 41 to 45 are put together. The ink supply adapter 47 is a step formed by notching the upper front half portion of all the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state where all the ink tanks 41 to 45 are arranged side by side with the thickness direction in the left and right direction. By being assembled to 48, the ink tanks 41 to 45 are integrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink supply tube 46 drawn from the ink tanks 41 to 45 is connected to an ink flow path (not shown) formed in the carriage 26, and recording is performed via the ink flow path. It is connected to the head 25. The ink supply adapter 47 may constitute a part of the housing 22 covering the ink tanks 41 to 45, and may be integrally formed with the ink tanks 41 to 45.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ink tanks 41 to 45 each have an ink storage chamber 49 capable of storing the ink IK. In the case of this embodiment, black ink is stored in the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 positioned at the right end in the side-by-side direction. In the ink storage chambers 49 of the other ink tanks 42 to 45 aligned on the left side of the ink tank 41 at the right end in the side-by-side direction, color (cyan, magenta, yellow, etc.) ink other than black is stored. The front wall portion of the ink tanks 41 to 45 visible through the window 37 on the front surface of the housing 22 is a transparent resin that allows the liquid level of the ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 to be visible. The formed visual recognition unit 50 is provided. Then, the visual indication unit 50 shows an indication of the upper limit of the liquid surface of the ink IK stored in the ink storage chamber 49 (example of the indication of the amount of ink that can be injected without causing the ink to overflow from the ink inlet 53). An upper limit mark 51 and a lower limit mark 52 indicating a lower limit indication (for example, an indication prompting ink supply) are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, an ink inlet 53 is provided on the upper side of the horizontal portion of the stepped portion 48 so as to allow the ink to flow into the ink storage chamber 49 from the outside. The ink inlet 53 is configured to include a needle 56 having flow paths 54 and 55 communicating the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber 49 and extending vertically upward. The flow paths 54, 55 of the needle 56 consist of two flow paths 54, 55, each tip opening being arranged in a radial direction centered on the needle 56, one of the two flow paths 54, 55 The flow path 54 (right side in FIG. 4) has a lower tip opening height and a larger cross-sectional area of the flow path than the other flow path 55 (left side in FIG. 4). A residual amount sensor 57 for detecting the residual amount of the ink IK in the ink storage chamber 49 is provided at a lower rear position in the ink storage chamber 49. The remaining amount sensor 57 may not be provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the ink supply adapter 47 is a horizontal surface along the direction in which the upper surface 58 is orthogonal to (crosses) the direction in which the needle 56 extends. A through hole 60 penetrating in the direction is formed as an ink inlet forming portion. The through hole 60 includes a circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 in which the needle 56 is disposed at the center, and a pair of front and rear rectangular holes connected to the front and back of the ink inlet 53. The needle 56 is closed by the horizontal portion of the step 48 protruding upward.

  Therefore, the direction in which the needle 56 extends in the region of the through hole 60 which is the outside of the ink inlet 53 in the radial direction centering on the ink inlet 53 by the pair of front and rear rectangular holes whose lower opening is closed. A pair of front and rear concave portions 61 which open upward are recessed with the vertically downward portion as the depth direction so as to be point-symmetrical about the ink inlet 53. That is, in the ink supply adapter 47 integrated with the ink tanks 41 to 45, a plurality of point symmetries centering on the ink inlet 53 (in this case, in the front and back direction in the region outside the ink inlet 53 including the needle 56). A pair of two recessed portions 61 will be formed. In this case, the tip of the needle 56 disposed at the center of the circular hole-shaped ink inlet 53 is the upper surface of the ink supply adapter 47 which is the opening edge of the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the recess 61. It is located closer to the ink storage chamber 49 than the position 58. That is, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 extends in a direction crossing the extending direction of the needle 56 at a position outside the tip of the needle 56 in the extending direction of the needle 56. On the other hand, the lower surface 59 of the ink supply adapter 47 functions as a tank engaging portion which collectively engages the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 arranged horizontally in the left-right direction from the upper side.

  In the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47, the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 is colored in a specific color. That is, the ink is colored in the same color as the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 into which the ink flows in through the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60. At this point, in the peripheral portion of the upper opening edge of each through hole 60 in the ink supply adapter 47, the ink tanks 41 to 45 in which the ink inlet 53 of the through hole 60 communicates with the ink storage chamber 49 are internally stored. Functions as a first part that indicates information related to the ink being supplied to the outside. Incidentally, the peripheral portion of the upper opening of the through hole 60 where the ink inlet 53 communicating with the ink storage chamber 49 of the ink tank 41 storing black ink is disposed is colored black.

  Further, in the inner surface (specifically, the inner side surface along the vertical direction) of the recess 61, it is horizontal at a position on the bottom surface side (that is, the horizontal portion side of the step portion 48) than the upper opening edge of the recess 61. A first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 exhibiting a characteristic uneven shape in the direction is provided to extend along the depth direction of the recessed portion 61 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink inlet 53). ing. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first uneven portion 62 is provided for each of the ink inlets 53 of the plurality (five in the present embodiment) of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, in the ink supply adapter 47, rectangular through holes 60 in the through holes 60 formed at positions corresponding respectively to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the vertical direction are other through holes 60 for each through hole 60. A first uneven portion 62 different from the first uneven portion 62 provided on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 is formed. That is, the first uneven portion 62 has an ink supply container 63 (see FIG. 6) connected to the ink inlet 53 in the through hole 60 in which the first uneven portion 62 is formed (see FIG. 6). It functions as an identification unit that makes it possible to identify 6). The “position on the bottom side of the opening edge on the upper side of the recess 61” means that the position may be a position slightly receding from the opening edge to the bottom side.

  Then, the ink supply container 63 which comprises an ink replenishment system with the ink tanks 41-45, and supplies the ink to the ink tanks 41-45 which the ink residual quantity became small is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the ink supply container 63 is provided at a cylindrical container main body 64 as a main component thereof and at the tip of the container main body 64, and the ink flows out from the ink supply container 63. The ink outlet forming portion 66 has an ink outlet 65 formed at its tip end, and a container adding portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 so as to surround the ink outlet 65. The ink outlet 65 of the ink outlet forming portion 66 is covered by the bottomed cylindrical cap 68 including the container addition portion 67 therearound, so that it is concealed from the outside when the ink supply container 63 is stored. That is, a male screw portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical lower end portion of the container addition portion 67, while a female screw portion not shown is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 68. By screwing the female screw portion of the cap 68 to the male screw portion 69, the cap 68 is attached to the tip of the ink supply container 63 so as to cover the ink outlet 65.

  In addition, as for the container addition part 67, the whole outer surface is colored by the specific color. That is, it is colored in the same color as the ink contained in the container main body 64 to which the container adding portion 67 is added. In this regard, the container adding portion 67 in the ink supply container 63 functions as a second portion that externally shows information related to the ink contained in the ink supply container 63. Incidentally, the outer surface of the container addition portion 67 in the ink supply container 63 containing the black ink is colored black. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of each of the container main body 64 and the proximal end of the cap 68, a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) projections 70 are formed at equal angular intervals (for example, 90 degrees). Incidentally, these projections 70 are formed to prevent rolling of the cylindrical ink supply container 63. Furthermore, for example, the container main body portion 64 of the ink supply container 63 containing black ink may be formed thicker than the container main body portion 64 of the ink supply container 63 containing ink of another color. In such a case, the ink outlet forming portion 66 may have the same thickness and shape as those for black ink and inks of other colors.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, in a portion above the cylindrical lower end portion in which the male screw portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container addition portion 67 In the area that is the outside of the outlet 65, a convex portion 71 that protrudes upward in the direction opposite to the container body 64 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 is formed. When the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the convex portion 71 can be fitted to the concave portion 61 of the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 as a first fitting portion. It functions as a fitting portion, and is provided so as to form a pair by sandwiching the ink outlet 65 from the front and back, like a pair of recesses 61 sandwiching the ink inlet 53 from the front and back. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the convex portion 71 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion 64 in the radial direction centering on the ink outlet 65 in the ink supply container 63.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, on the outer surfaces (right and left side surfaces in FIGS. 6 and 9) of the respective convex portions 71, the first uneven portion (the first uneven portion formed on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink supply adapter 47) A second uneven portion (second key structure portion) 72 engageable with the (1 key structure portion) 62 is formed. The second uneven portion 72 is provided to extend along the projecting direction of the convex portion 71 (in other words, the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65), and the convex portion 71 is fitted in the concave portion 61. When the second uneven portion 72 is engaged with the first uneven portion 62, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink inlet 53 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side.

  In addition, the center axis of the ink outlet 65 is perpendicular (intersects) between the cylindrical lower end portion where the male screw portion 69 of the container addition portion 67 is formed and the convex portion 71 where the second uneven portion 72 is formed. A planar positioning portion 73 is provided so as to be located radially outward of the ink outlet 65 when the ink outlet 65 is viewed in the direction of its central axis. That is, the positioning portion 73 constitutes a portion of the outer surface of the container addition portion 67 which is a portion of the outer surface of the ink supply container 63, and the container main body than the tip of the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 It is provided in the position which becomes the part 64 side. And since this positioning part 73 is provided in the container addition part 67 added to the ink outlet formation part 66 in the ink replenishment container 63, it is a structure of another member from the ink outlet formation part 66, and the ink It can be said that the configuration is provided on the outside of the outlet forming portion 66.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, in the ink outlet 65 formed in the ink outlet forming portion 66, there is provided a valve 74 made of an elastic member such as a silicon film for sealing the ink outlet 65 so as to be able to open and close. ing. The valve 74 is provided at a position where the positioning portion 73 is on the container body 64 side in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 (see, for example, FIG. 14). The valve 74 is provided with a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) slits 75 which intersect at equal angular intervals (for example, 120 degrees as an example) with the centers as intersections, and the slits 75 are provided at the ink outlet. The valve 65 is configured to open by being spread from inside to outside. That is, when the tip of the needle 56 on the ink inlet 53 side is inserted into the ink outlet 65, the valve 74, which is a normally closed valve, is spread by the tip of the needle 56 and opens.

  Then, at that time, the positioning portion 73 abuts the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 in which the through hole 60 including the ink inlet 53 and the recess 61 is formed outside the radial direction of the ink outlet 65. The valve 74 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in the central axis direction of the. In this respect, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 positions the ink supply container 63 when the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is opened to supply ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45. The part 73 is a part of the side of the ink tanks 41 to 45 that abuts, and functions as a receiving surface for receiving the positioning part 73 having a planar shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the container main body 64 of the ink supply container 63 is a bottle-shaped member having an ink storage chamber 76 capable of containing the ink IK therein, and the neck of the upper end thereof A male screw portion 78 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of 77. On the other hand, the ink outlet forming portion 66 provided at the upper end portion of the container body 64 has the large diameter portion 79 located on the outer peripheral side of the neck 77 of the container body 64 and the ink at the position farthest from the container body 64 A small diameter portion 80 forming the outlet 65 and an intermediate portion 81 connecting the large diameter portion 79 and the small diameter portion 80 are provided. Then, by screwing the female screw portion 82 formed on the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 79 into the male screw portion 78 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the neck 77 of the container body 64, the ink outlet forming portion 66 It is attached to the upper end of the container body 64.

  Further, the container addition portion 67 which is added to the ink outlet forming portion 66 of the ink supply container 63 so as to surround the ink outlet 65 has a cylindrical lower end portion in which the male screw portion 69 is formed on the outer peripheral surface A bonding portion 83 to be bonded to the upper end surface of the large diameter portion 79 of the ink outlet formation portion 66 is configured. The junction area 83 is in surface contact with the front outer surface and the rear outer surface of the middle portion 81 of the ink outlet forming portion 66 in the surface area of the inner peripheral surface opposed in the front-rear direction of the ink outlet forming portion 66. It is joined to the large diameter portion 79.

  Therefore, the operation of the ink supply system configured as described above will be described below, focusing on the operation for supplying ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 of the ink supply unit 40 using the ink supply container 63. .

  As a premise, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid level of the ink in the ink tank 41 of the black ink positioned on the rightmost side among the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 arranged side by side is the visible portion 50 Since the height of the lower limit mark 52 described in the lower part of the mark has been lowered, the case of supplying the ink to the ink tank 41 will be described below. Further, it is assumed that black ink is sufficiently contained in the ink supply container 63 used for ink supply, and the cap 68 is removed from the ink supply container 63 in advance. Furthermore, the shape of the second uneven portion 72 formed on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is formed on the inner surface of the recessed portion 61 located before and after the ink inlet 53 to the ink tank 41. It conforms to the shape of the concavo-convex portion 62 and can be engaged with the insertion of the convex portion 71 into the concave portion 61.

  When supplying ink to the ink tank 41, the user first rotates the open / close door 35 of the housing 22 forward from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 about the rotary shaft 36 to an open state. Then, in the ink supply unit 40, the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 in which the ink inlet 53 into the ink tanks 41 to 45 is formed is exposed to the outside of the housing 22, and the user enters the desired ink inlet 53. On the other hand, it is possible to connect the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 from above.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the user turns the ink supply container 63 containing the black ink used for ink supply upside down, and the ink outlet 65 is the rightmost through hole in the ink supply adapter 47. Hold to be positioned above 60. That is, the central axis of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is aligned with the central axis of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to be supplied with ink. At this time, the user uses the color (second portion) colored in the container addition portion 67 of the ink supply container 63 held by the hand, and the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 to be supplied with the ink at that time. Compare with the color (first portion) colored around the upper opening edge of the provided through hole 60. Then, if the respective colors are the same (in this case, they are black), it is confirmed that the ink supply container 63 adapted to the current ink supply is held in hand, and the process proceeds to the subsequent operation in the ink supply.

  Then, the ink supply container 63 is lowered from the state shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is inserted into the recess 61 of the ink supply adapter 47 integral with the ink tank 41. Then, the realization of the insertion state of the convex portion 71 in the concave portion 61 ensures that the central axis of the ink outlet 65 matches the central axis of the ink inlet 53. In this case, since the recess 61 is in point symmetry with respect to the needle 56 which is the center of the ink inlet 53, the protrusion 71 can be inserted into any recess 61. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the ink supply container 63 around the central axis of the ink outlet 65 many times to check the matched positional relationship between the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71, and the user can Can easily be inserted.

  However, at this time, the tip of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53 is also slightly open from the tip of the protrusion 71 when the protrusion 71 is slightly inserted into the recess 61. Although it is inserted inside, the valve 74 located inside the ink outlet 65 is not reached. The reason is that, as shown in FIG. 13, the tip of the protrusion 71 is more than the distance L1 between the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 where the opening edge of the recess 61 is located and the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 in the recess 61. The distance L2 between the ink and the valve 74 in the ink outlet 65 is longer. Then, when the protrusion 71 is further inserted downward in the depth direction of the recess 61 from that state, the second uneven portion 72 on the outer surface of the protrusion 71 engages with the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61. Match. When the protrusion 71 is further inserted toward the bottom in the depth direction of the recess 61 while maintaining the engaged state, the tip of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 reaches the position of the valve 74 of the ink outlet 65. Finally, the valve 74 is opened.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the tip of the needle 56 pushes the slit 75 upward from below (that is, from the outside to the inside of the ink outlet 65) with respect to the valve 74. Open the valve. As a result, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 of the ink tank 41 are connected, and black ink is supplied from the inside of the ink supply container 63 into the ink tank 41. At this time, the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 has one of two flow paths 54 and 55 with one of the flow paths 54 and 55 in which the tip opening first touches the ink flowed out from the ink outlet 65 by opening the valve 74. The ink flow path functions as an ink flow path, and the other flow path functions as an air flow path through which air flows. For example, when the user tries to connect the ink outlet 65 to the ink inlet 53 in a state where the ink supply container 63 is inclined, the ink flow path out of the two flow paths 54 and 55 due to the difference in the inclination direction. The flow path will also change.

  If the second uneven portion 72 does not engage with the first uneven portion 62 after the protrusion 71 is inserted into the recessed portion 61, the user can use the ink supply container 63 of a color other than black at that time. I can recognize that I am trying to insert it by mistake. In this case, if the upper end of the first uneven portion 62 is positioned at the same height as the opening edge of the recessed portion 61, the engagement of the second uneven portion 72 with the first uneven portion 62 is rejected. Not only that, but also the insertion of the convex part 71 into the concave part 61 is also rejected, the user may repeatedly try to insert the convex part 71 into the concave part 61 and spend unnecessary work time unnecessarily. is there. In this respect, in the present embodiment, since the height of the first uneven portion 62 is lower than the opening edge of the recess 61, the protrusion 71 is guided to the bottom side in the depth direction of the recess 61 when inserted into the recess 61. It is easy to do so, and it is also suppressed that the working time is unnecessarily long.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 14, 16 and 17, when the valve 56 in the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is opened by the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 on the ink tank 41 side, the ink supply container 63 The positioning portion 73 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 which is a part of the ink tank 41 side. That is, the ink supply container 63 is positioned in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 with respect to the needle 56 on the ink tank 41 side by the contact between the positioning portion 73 and the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47. The valve is opened in the closed state.

  Further, at this time, the positioning portion 73 is located on the radially outer side of the ink outlet 65, so the ink supply container 63 can stably hold the ink outlet 53 connected to the ink inlet 53. Further, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, when the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47, the ink inlet 53 where the proximal end of the needle 56 at the ink inlet 53 is located. There is a gap between the bottom of the ink container and the tip of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63. Therefore, the ink is likely to be accumulated on the bottom surface of the ink inlet 53 where the proximal end of the needle 56 is located, but it is also avoided that the ink thus accumulated adheres to the tip of the ink outlet 65 and contaminate the ink supply container 63. Ru.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 16, when the ink supply from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tank 41 is completed, the level of the ink in the ink tank 41 is higher than the upper limit mark 51 of the visual recognition unit 50. If it is still low, the same black ink supply container 63 may be used to supply ink to the upper limit mark 51 further. The above-described ink supply operation is similarly performed in the case of the ink tanks 42 to 45 of other colors other than the ink tank 41 of black ink.

According to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) At the time of ink replenishment from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the valve 74 is opened in a state of being positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, problems such as ink leakage and ink replenishment failure that may occur when the valve 74 is misaligned at the time of valve opening can be suppressed, and ink can be appropriately replenished to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

  (2) Since the valve 74 is a slit valve in which one or more slits 75 are provided in an elastic member made of silicon film or the like, the ink supply container 63 with a simple structure can be provided with a small number of parts.

  (3) At the time of ink replenishment from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positioning portion 73 of the ink replenishment container 63 is positioned radially outward of the ink outlet 65 with respect to a part on the ink tanks 41 to 45 side. Since the ink comes into contact in the state, the ink can be replenished in a stable posture.

  (4) In the ink supply container 63, since the positioning part 73 is provided in the container addition part 67 which is a separate member from the ink outlet forming part 66, positioning according to the design aspect of the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63 The part 73 can be optimized.

  (5) When the needle 56 of the ink tank 41 to 45 is inserted into the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 and the valve 74 is opened, the ink supply functioning as the receiving surface of the ink supply container 63 in the ink tank 41 to 45 The positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 abuts on the upper surface 58 of the adapter 47 to determine the relative positional relationship between the valve 74 and the needle 56. Therefore, the valve 74 can be opened appropriately by the needle 56, and the occurrence of the ink replenishment failure can be suppressed.

  (6) At the time of ink replenishment, the needle 56 is not inserted into the ink outlet 65 when the convex portion 71 of the ink replenishment container 63 is not fitted in the concave portion 61 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. An inappropriate connection with the container 63 can be suppressed.

  (7) The ink supply container 63 includes the positioning portion 73 outside the ink outlet forming portion 66 and at a position closer to the container main portion 64 than the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65. Therefore, after suppressing the improper connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63, the insertion condition of the needle 56 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 with respect to the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is secured in an appropriate positioning state it can.

  (8) In addition, the needle 56 of the ink tank 41 to 45 does not protrude outside the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 whose tip is the receiving surface of the positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63. Even when the ink adheres to the tip, the possibility that the ink adheres to the hand of the user who performs the ink supply operation and the ink supply container 63 can be reduced.

  (9) When the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45 from the direction in which the two flow paths 54 and 55 are aligned from the extending direction of the needle 56, the two flow paths 54, One of the flow channels 55 on the side to which the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 approaches first functions as an ink flow channel, and the other flow channel functions as an air flow channel. Therefore, since the user may use any one of the two flow paths 54 and 55 as the ink flow path, the ink supply operation can be performed quickly without causing the flow path to be the ink flow path to be selected by mistake. It can be carried out.

  (10) The convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 is fitted to the concave portion 61 of the ink tank 41 to 45, and the second concave and convex portion 72 of the outer surface of the convex portion 71 is By engaging, the user can recognize that the ink supply container 63 adapted to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is connected. Therefore, improper connection between the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the ink supply container 63 can be suppressed. In addition, since the first uneven portion 62 is located on the inner surface of the recessed portion 61 of the ink tank 41 to 45 on the bottom side of the opening edge of the recessed portion 61, the ink supply container 63 has the convex portion 71 of the ink tank 41 to 45 It is easy to be guided from the opening side to the bottom side of the concave portion 61 of 45, and the insertion work can be easily performed.

  (11) The convex in the ink supply container 63 with respect to the first uneven portion (first key structure portion) 62 provided to extend along the depth direction of the concave portion 61 on the inner surface of the concave portion 61 of the ink tank 41 to 45 The second uneven portion 72 (second key structure portion) on the outer surface of the portion 71 can be engaged along with the fitting of the convex portion 71 to the concave portion 61. As a result, the connection direction of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily recognized.

  (12) Since the concave portion 61 provided on the outer side in the radial direction of the ink inlet 53 has a direction in which the depth direction is directed vertically downward, the ink outlet 53 of the ink supply container 63 is provided to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. In the connected state, the return of the ink from the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 into the ink storage chamber 76 can be suppressed. As a result, the ink supply operation from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be appropriately performed.

  (13) The ink supply container 63 has a plurality of concave portions (first fitting) 61 formed point-symmetrically with the convex portion (second fitting portion) 71 in the ink tanks 41 to 45 centering on the ink inlet 53. In any case, the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 can be connected to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. Therefore, at the time of ink supply, the connection operation of the ink supply container 63 with the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be easily performed.

  (14) The color colored in the peripheral portion of the ink inlet 53 of the ink supply adapter 47 in the ink tanks 41 to 45 functions as a first portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 49, the ink The color colored in the container addition portion 67 of the supply container 63 functions as a second portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 76. Therefore, when the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink tanks 41 to 45 to supply the ink, it is determined whether the ink to be supplied is compatible with the first portion on the ink tank 41 to 45 side and the ink supply container 63. It can confirm easily by visually recognizing the 2nd part by the side.

  (15) Since the ink supply container 63 is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion 64 provided with the ink storage chamber 76 in the radial direction centering on the ink outlet 65, the ink supply container 63 When the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is connected to the ink inlet 53 of 41 to 45, the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 can be made difficult to interfere.

  (16) The ink supply adapter 47 engages the lower surface (tank engaging portion) 59 with the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 in a batch, and then the ink tanks 41 to 45 are assembled. A plurality of first uneven portions (identification portions) 62 are provided to make it possible to identify the ink supply container 63 having the ink outlet 65 connectable to the ink inlet 53 of the second embodiment. Therefore, the ink tanks 41 to 45 have a general common structure, and then the plurality of ink tanks 41 to 45 are put together and the lower surface 59 serving as a tank engaging portion of the ink supply adapter 47 is engaged. For example, a structure capable of suppressing erroneous attachment of the ink supply container 63 at the time of ink supply can be easily realized.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the recording apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the positioning of the ink tank and the ink supply adapter. And since it is substantially the same as a 1st embodiment in other points, the duplicate explanation is omitted by attaching the same numerals about the same composition.

  As shown in FIG. 18, the multifunction device 14 includes a recording device 21 and an image reading device 15 disposed on the recording device 21 and covering the upper side of the recording device 21, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. On the front side (front side) of the recording device 21, an operation unit 16 such as a button for performing various operations of the multifunction device 14, and a display unit 17 for displaying information of the recording device 21 and the multifunction device 14 and the like An operation panel 18 is provided. Furthermore, an ink supply unit 40 is provided on the right side of the operation panel 18.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the image reading device 15 is attached via a rotation mechanism 19 such as a hinge provided on the rear side (rear side). The image reading device 15 can be opened and closed with respect to the recording device 21, and rotates between a closed position shown in FIG. 18 and an open position shown in FIG. Then, when the image reading device 15 is positioned at the open position, the unit cover 100 and the elastic cap 92 of the ink supply unit 40 can be opened and closed. When the ink is supplied to the ink tanks 41 to 45 (see FIG. 20), as shown in FIG. 19, the image reading device 15, the unit cover 100, and the elastic cap 92 are positioned at the open position. Are connected to the ink supply adapter 47 and the ink tanks 41 to 45. That is, the ink supply adapter 47 is mounted so as to be positioned above the ink tanks 41 to 45 in a state of supplying ink from the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45. In other words, the ink supply adapter 47 connects the ink supply container 63 and the ink tanks 41 to 45 when the ink supply container 63 supplies the ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

  As shown in FIG. 20, in the ink supply unit 40, two types of ink tanks 41 to 45 different in the amount of ink that can be stored are arranged side by side with the thickness direction being the left and right direction. The ink tanks 41 having a large storage capacity and the ink tanks 42 to 45 having a small storage capacity have the same configuration although they have different thicknesses. Therefore, in the ink tanks 41 to 45, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The needle 56 is formed to project upward from the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. A tank side positioning portion 113 is provided on the side surface 112 on the side of the visible portion 50 (front side) intersecting the top surface 111 so as to project forward. The tank side positioning portions 113 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 are located at substantially the same position in the vertical direction, and the intervals between the tank side positioning portions 113 in the adjacent ink tanks 41 to 45 are substantially the same.

  The top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and an absorbing material 123 capable of absorbing ink is provided. A plurality of (six in the present embodiment) circular holes 123 a are formed in the absorbent material 123. The absorbent material 123 inserts the needles 56 into the circular holes 123a, and folds the portion of the film 124 for sealing the openings of the ink tanks 41 to 45 that extends above the top surface 111. Is attached to the ink tanks 41-45. Alternatively, the absorbent material 123 may have a size that covers the entire top surface 111 (see FIG. 28).

  As shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22, the tank side positioning portion 113 is erected upward from the bottom wall 114 provided to project from the side surface 112 at a position below the top surface 111 and the bottom wall 114. And a pair of side walls 115. And the tank side positioning part 113 is provided so that it may be opened toward the front and upper side.

  Further, on the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45, at the position of the front end adjacent to the tank side positioning portion 113, a projecting portion 116 for supporting the ink supply adapter 47 is provided. The protrusion 116 is also provided on the rear end of the top surface 111. In other words, the protrusions 116 are provided at a position on both ends of the top surface 111 in the front-rear direction, with the needle 56 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in the cylindrical needle 56, a dividing wall 117 extending in the vertical direction is formed at a central position in the front-rear direction. The flow channels 54 and 55 are partitioned by the partition wall 117. Therefore, the flow paths 54 and 55 of the present embodiment are formed such that the heights and cross-sectional areas of the tip openings are substantially equal. The needle 56 is provided to the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the ink can flow into the ink storage chamber 49 provided to the ink tanks 41 to 45.

Next, the ink supply adapter 47 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the ink supply adapter 47 includes an inlet forming portion 119 surrounding at least a part of the periphery of the needle 56 which is an example of the ink inlet channel portion. A plurality of inlet formation portions 119 (five in the same number as the ink tanks 41 to 45 in this embodiment) are provided side by side on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 in the left-right direction. The inlet formation part 119 of this embodiment is a recessed part with a bottom, The shape is substantially the same as the through-hole 60 (refer FIG. 3) in planar view. Furthermore, the ink supply adapter 47 is provided with a first uneven portion 62, which is an example of an identification unit capable of identifying the ink supply container 63 having the ink outlet 65 connectable to the needle 56. The first concavo-convex portion 62 in the present embodiment is provided such that a convex portion is erected from the bottom surface of the entrance forming portion 119.

  As shown in FIG. 24, an insertion hole 120 through which the needle 56 can be inserted is formed on the bottom surface of each inlet forming portion 119. The diameter of the insertion hole 120 is larger than the diameter of the needle 56, and a gap is provided between the needle 56 and the insertion hole 120. Therefore, when the ink leaks from the ink supply container 63 or the needle 56, the leaked ink is absorbed by the absorbing material 123 through the gap between the insertion hole 120 and the needle 56.

  As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, on the lower surface 59 of the ink supply adapter 47, an adapter side positioning portion 121 for positioning the ink supply adapter 47 with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is provided. The adapter-side positioning portion 121 is engageable with the tank-side positioning portion 113 provided in the ink tanks 41 to 45, and plural in the left-right direction (in the present embodiment, the ink tank 41). The same number of five as ~ 45 are provided side by side. Further, the intervals in the left-right direction of the plurality of adapter-side positioning sections 121 are substantially equal to the intervals in the left-right direction of the tank-side positioning sections 113 provided in the ink tanks 41-45.

  Furthermore, on the lower surface 59 of the ink supply adapter 47, a pair of ribs 122 provided at intervals in the front-rear direction are provided side by side in a plurality of sets (five sets in the present embodiment) in the left-right direction. The distance between the pair of ribs 122 in the front-rear direction is substantially equal to the size of the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45. The adapter side positioning portions 121 and the ribs 122 are provided one on each side of one insertion hole 120 in the left-right direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, the distance B between the center line A and the adapter-side positioning portion 121 along the longitudinal direction through the center of the insertion hole 120 is the distance C between the center line A and the rib 122 Approximately equal. Further, the corners of the adapter-side positioning portion 121 and the rib 122 are chamfered.

  As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the ink supply adapter 47 includes a plurality of inlet forming portions 119, a first uneven portion 62 corresponding to the plurality of inlet forming portions 119, a plurality of adapter side positioning portions 121, A plurality of sets of ribs 122 are integrally formed.

Next, the operation of the ink supply adapter 47 configured as described above will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, when the ink supply adapter 47 is attached to the ink tanks 41 to 45 so that the needle 56 is inserted into the insertion hole 120 of the ink supply adapter 47, the adapter side positioning portion 121 is a tank. It engages with the side positioning portion 113. Specifically, the adapter side positioning portion 121 is positioned in the left-right direction by entering between the side walls 115 of the tank side positioning portion 113. Further, the ink supply adapter 47 is positioned in the front-rear direction by the ribs 122 sandwiching the ink tanks 41 to 45 from the front and rear sides. Then, the ink supply adapter 47 positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is fixed to the housing 22 by a screw (not shown).

  The absorbing material 123 provided between the ink supply adapter 47 and the top surface 111 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 may be provided for each of the ink tanks 41 to 45. The absorbing material 123 may be extended from the top surface 111 to the side surface 112 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 (in FIG. 27, only the portion corresponding to the ink tank 45 is shown).

According to the said 2nd Embodiment, in addition to the effect of (1)-(16) of the said 1st Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.
(17) Since the ink supply adapter 47 is positioned with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45, the positions of the needle 56 provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 and the inlet forming portion 119 provided on the ink supply adapter 47 Deviation is suppressed. Therefore, the ink can be appropriately replenished from the ink replenishment container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 through the ink replenishment adapter 47.

  (18) The inlet formation portion 119, the first concavo-convex portion 62, and the adapter side positioning portion 121 are integrally formed, so that the ink supply adapter 47 can be easily manufactured as compared to the case where these are separately formed. .

The above embodiment may be modified as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, in the ink supply container 63, the tip end of the convex portion 71 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 protrudes to the opposite side of the container body 64 with respect to the ink outlet 65. Good. According to this configuration, at the time of ink replenishment, since the convex portion 71 protrudes from the ink outlet 65 in the ink replenishment container 63, the ink outlet 65 may touch the user's hand or the peripheral portion of the ink replenishment container 63. Can be reduced, and the occurrence of contamination due to ink adhesion can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 31, the ink supply container 63 is positioned at a position closer to the container main body 64 than the valve 74 in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet 65 when the ink tanks 41 to 45 are supplied with ink. The convex portion 71 may be omitted as long as the positioning portion 73 for positioning the valve with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 45 in contact with a part on the side of ̃45 is provided. In this case, the recess 61 may not be provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45 as well.

  As shown in FIG. 32, the ink supply unit 40 may have a structure in which the ink inlet 53 is normally closed. That is, the ink supply unit 40 of this modification is provided with a lever-like cap support member 90 for each of the plurality of ink inlets 53. The base end of the cap support member 90 is rotatably supported by a pivot shaft 91 provided on the upper surface 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 so as to extend in a direction (horizontal direction) intersecting the central axis of the ink inlet 53. It is done. An elastic cap 92 shaped so as to be able to be fitted to the ink inlet 53 is provided on the tip end side of the center in the longitudinal direction of each cap support member 90, and the cap support member 90 is normally used for the ink inlet 53. In the closed state fitted to the When the ink is replenished, the elastic cap 92 fits the ink inlet 53, and the cap support member 90 in the closed state is put on the bent end of the handle portion 93 by the user. Tilted to an open position spaced from 53. As shown in FIG. 32, a unit cover 100 which covers the upper portions of the plurality of cap support members 90 collectively may be further opened and closed freely. Further, the elastic cap 92 is formed of, for example, an elastic material such as an elastomer, and the cap support member 90 is formed of, for example, a material having rigidity higher than that of the elastic cap 92 made of polystyrene or ABS resin.

  As shown in FIG. 33, the ink supply adapter 47 may be attached to the ink supply unit 40 so as to be movable relative to the ink tanks 41 to 44. That is, the ink supply adapter 47 is a connecting portion that connects the fixing portion 125 fixed to the housing 22, the displacement portion 126 that can be displaced with respect to the ink tanks 41 to 44, the fixing portion 125 and the displacement portion 126 And 127. The connection portion 127 is deformable, and the displacement portion 126 is displaceable in a direction intersecting the vertical direction in which the needle 56 extends. Therefore, the displacement portion 126 is displaced in a state where the ink supply container 63 is engaged with the inlet forming portion 119, and the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 can be moved relative to each other. Therefore, since the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 and the needle 56 can be easily aligned, the risk of ink leakage can be reduced.

  A groove 129 may be formed at the tip of the ink outlet 65 as in the modification shown in FIG. Furthermore, at least one (two in the present modification) annular convex portion 130 may be formed along the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 80 between the tip of the ink outlet 65 and the positioning portion 73. By providing the groove portion 129, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the ink drips from the ink outlet 65 when the ink supply container 63 which supplies the ink to the ink tanks 41 to 45 is erected. Furthermore, by providing the annular convex portion 130, even when the ink drips from the ink outlet 65, the ink can be blocked.

  As in the modification shown in FIG. 35, the convex portions 71 formed in a pair along the straight line D passing the center of the ink outlet 65 are divided into a plurality of (six in this modification) areas E, and each area E The second uneven portion 72 may be configured by the provided identification convex portions 132a to 132c. In the present modification, the second uneven portion 72 is configured by the three types of identification convex portions 132a to 132c. Specifically, the first identification convex portion 132a having a length from the straight line D to the side surface of the convex portion 71, the second identification convex portion 132b shorter than the first identification convex portion 132a, and the second identification convex portion 132b You may comprise the 2nd uneven | corrugated | grooved part 72 combining the 3rd identification convex part 132c shorter than arbitrary. By increasing the number of regions E and the types of identification convex portions 132a to 132c, the pattern of the second uneven portion 72 can be increased to cope with the amount and type of ink.

  -As a modification shown in FIG. 36, the small diameter portion 80 may be formed of a transparent or translucent material. Furthermore, the surface on the inner side of the small diameter portion 80 and closer to the ink storage chamber 76 than the valve 74 may be a rough surface 80 a that is roughened by embossing or the like. The rough surface 80 a has high wettability and easily retains ink, so the color of the ink can be easily recognized from the outside of the small diameter portion 80.

  As in the modification shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, the cap 68 is attached to be in contact with the mounting surface 134 of the ink supply container 63, and is in an attached state. Furthermore, the cap 68 includes an annular seal 135 that seals the ink outlet 65 in the mounted state. The inner surface 135a of the sealing portion 135 is formed obliquely so as to extend toward the tip. Then, the cap 68 seals the ink outlet 65 by the inner surface 135 a coming into contact with the corner 136 of the ink outlet 65 in the mounted state. Therefore, even when the cap 68 is loosely engaged with the mounting surface 134 and attached, the possibility of the ink leaking from the ink outlet 65 due to the contact between the inner surface 135a and the corner 136 can be reduced. Note that the corner 136 is a portion where two surfaces facing in different directions intersect, and may be curved.

  In the ink supply adapter 47, at least one of the first uneven portion 62, the adapter side positioning portion 121, and the rib 122 may be separately formed. Further, among the ribs 122 provided on the front and rear sides, the rib 122 on the front side may not be provided. At least one of the rear ribs 122 may be provided, and the ink supply adapter 47 may be positioned in the front-rear direction by the rear ribs 122 and the adapter side positioning portion 121. Furthermore, the rib 122 may not be provided.

  The shapes of the tank-side positioning unit 113 and the adapter-side positioning unit 121 can be arbitrarily changed as long as they can be engaged with each other to position the ink supply adapter 47 in the ink tanks 41 to 45. For example, the tank side positioning portion 113 may be a step portion formed around the needle 56, and the adapter side positioning portion 121 may be a recess or a hole surrounding the step portion. By providing the tank side positioning portion 113 and the adapter side positioning portion 121 at a position close to the needle 56, the positional accuracy of the inlet forming portion 119 with respect to the needle 56 can be improved.

  In the ink supply container 63, the convex portion 71 may protrude outward beyond the outer peripheral surface of the container main body 64 in which the ink storage chamber 76 is provided in the radial direction with the ink outlet 65 as the center. According to this configuration, the user can easily visually recognize the convex portion 71 when looking at the ink supply container 63, and the convex portion 71 of the ink supply container 63 with respect to the concave portion 61 on the ink tank 41 to 45 side when the ink is supplied. And it becomes easy to make it fit. As a result, the erroneous connection of the ink supply container 63 to the ink tanks 41 to 45 can be reduced.

  · The first portion provided for each of the ink tanks 41 to 45 to indicate information related to the ink stored in the ink tank 41 to 45 and the ink supply container indicating that information on the ink stored in the ink supply container 63 The second portion provided for each 63 may be character information, shape information, and the like other than color information. Further, the configuration relating to the first part and the second part may be omitted.

  If the plurality of concave portions 61 are provided on the ink tanks 41 to 45, the convex portion 71 on the ink supply container 63 side may have a single configuration. In addition, if there are a plurality of recesses 61, they may not necessarily be point-symmetrically disposed about the ink inlet 53.

  If the plurality of recesses 61 on the ink tanks 41 to 45 are point-symmetrical, in addition to the pair of recesses 61 that are 180 degrees symmetrical, three of 120 degree symmetry or four 90 degrees of symmetry For example, other plural point symmetric arrangements may be used.

  -Of the concave portion 61 and the convex portion 71 to be fitted at the time of ink replenishment, the convex portion 71 is provided as the first fitting portion on the ink tank 41 to 45 side, and the concave portion 61 is as the second fitting portion on the ink supply container 63 side. You may provide.

  The depth direction of the recess 61 on the ink tank 41 to 45 side is along the extending direction of the needle 56 located at the center of the ink inlet 53, so it is not limited to the one directed vertically downward, and is oblique to the vertical direction. It may be in the direction intersecting with. However, in order to suppress the ink leakage, it is not preferable to set the direction along the horizontal direction as the depth direction of the recess 61.

The height of the tip of the first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 may be equal to or greater than the height of the opening edge of the recess 61.
The first uneven portion 62 on the inner surface of the recess 61 is provided, provided that an identification portion capable of identifying the ink supply container 63 having the ink outlet 65 connectable to the ink inlet 53 of the ink tanks 41 to 45 is separately provided. The second uneven portion 72 on the outer surface of the convex portion 71 may not necessarily be present.

The two flow paths 54 and 55 of the needle 56 of the ink inlet 53 may have the same height at both tip openings, and may have a plurality of flow path configurations other than two.
In the ink supply container 63, the convex portion 71 and the positioning portion 73 may be directly formed in the ink outlet forming portion 66 instead of the container adding portion 67 added to the ink outlet forming portion 66. That is, the container adding portion 67 may not be added to the ink outlet forming portion 66, but may be integrally formed on the ink outlet forming portion 66.

  · If the positioning portion 73 in the ink supply container 63 is a region radially outside the ink outlet 65 centered on the ink outlet 65, the ink outlet 65 is not outside the plurality of radial directions but one radial outside It may be provided in

  The valve of the ink outlet 65 of the ink supply container 63 is not limited to three in the case of one or more slits 75, and may be provided with other plural slits 75 such as two or four. Further, the present invention is not limited to the slit valve provided with the slit 75, and may be a valve configured to be pushed from below by the needle 56 and displaced in the valve opening direction without the slit 75.

  The positioning portion 73 of the ink supply container 63 is not limited to a flat shape, and may have one or more protrusions or ribs if it contacts the upper surface (receiving surface) 58 of the ink supply adapter 47 at the time of ink supply. May be.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 40 ... Ink supply unit, 41-45 ... Ink tank, 46 ... Ink supply tube, 47 ... Adapter for ink replenishment, 48 ... Level difference part, 49 ... Ink storage chamber, 50 ... Visual recognition part, 53 ... Ink inlet, 54, 55 ... Flow path 56 needle (ink inlet flow path portion) 57 residual amount sensor 58 upper surface (receiving surface) 59 lower surface (tank engaging portion) 60 through hole 61 concave portion (first Fitting portion) 62: first uneven portion (identification portion) 63: ink supply container 64: container body portion 65: ink outlet 66: ink outlet forming portion 67: container addition portion 69: male screw portion , 70: projection, 71: convex portion (second fitting portion) 72: second uneven portion 73: positioning portion 74: valve 75: slit 76: ink storage chamber 113: tank side positioning portion 119 ... entrance formation part, 121 ... adapter side position Deciding part, IK ... ink.

Claims (13)

An ink supply system comprising an ink tank and an ink supply container, comprising:
The ink tank is
An ink storage chamber capable of storing ink;
A needle extending upward, having a flow path connecting the inside and the outside of the ink storage chamber;
A receiving surface extending in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the needle at a position outside the tip of the needle in the extending direction of the needle;
The flow path of the needle has two flow paths arranged in a direction in which the tip opening of each flow path intersects the extending direction of the needle, and an ink flow which allows one flow path to flow ink When functioning as a channel, the other channel functions as an air channel for circulating air,
The ink supply container is
A container main body having an ink storage chamber capable of storing the ink;
An ink outlet forming portion provided at an end portion of the container main body portion and having an ink outlet which allows the ink to flow out of the ink storage chamber;
A valve provided at the ink outlet forming portion and capable of opening and closing the ink outlet;
Said ink outlet forming portion, in a state in which the needle is the valve is inserted into the ink in the outlet is open, have a positioning portion in contact with said receiving surface,
The ink tank has a recess that opens in a direction in which the needle extends in a region that is outside the needle in a direction that intersects the direction in which the needle extends.
The recess includes a pair of rectangular holes provided in series with the ink inlet so as to sandwich the circular hole-shaped ink inlet in which the needle is disposed at the center,
The ink supply system , wherein the receiving surface includes at least a part of the ink inlet and an opening edge of the recess . The ink outlet forming portion is in an area which is outside the ink outlet in a direction intersecting the direction in which the needle is inserted, and in the rectangular hole portion of the recess when the needle is inserted into the ink outlet. The ink supply system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one convex portion which can be inserted.   The ink supply system according to claim 2, wherein the ink outlet forming portion includes the positioning portion at a position closer to the container body portion than a tip end of the convex portion in a direction in which the needle is inserted. . The ink tank includes a first uneven portion at a position closer to the bottom surface than the opening edge of the recess on the inner surface of the recess,
The ink supply system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ink outlet forming portion is provided with a second uneven portion engageable with the first uneven portion of the ink tank on the convex portion. The ink tank is provided such that the depth direction of the recess is the direction of the central axis of the needle, and the first uneven portion extends on the inner surface of the recess along the depth direction of the recess.
The ink outlet forming portion is characterized in that the ink outlet is connected to the needle when the convex portion is inserted into the concave portion and the second uneven portion is engaged with the first uneven portion. The ink supply system according to claim 4.   The ink according to claim 5, wherein the depth direction of the concave portion in the ink tank is a direction from the upper side to the lower side intersecting the horizontal direction in a state where the ink outlet is connected to the needle. Supply system. The ink tank has a first portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber,
The ink outlet formation portion has a second portion indicating information related to the ink stored in the ink storage chamber,
The second portion and the first portion are provided at positions where they can be visually recognized from the outside when the convex portion of the ink outlet forming portion is inserted into the concave portion. The ink supply system according to any one of 6.   The ink outlet forming portion according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the convex portion protrudes in a direction opposite to the ink storage chamber in the direction of the central axis of the ink outlet than the ink outlet. The ink supply system according to any one of the preceding claims.   The ink outlet forming portion is formed inside the outer peripheral surface of the container main body portion in which the ink storage chamber is provided in a direction in which the convex portion intersects the central axis of the ink outlet. The ink supply system according to any one of claims 2 to 8.   The ink supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the ink outlet forming portion is formed with a groove along the periphery of the ink outlet.   The ink outlet forming portion is characterized in that an annular convex portion is formed along the outer periphery of the ink outlet forming portion between the ink outlet and the positioning portion in the central axis direction of the ink outlet. The ink supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.   The ink supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a tip of the needle is located closer to the ink storage chamber than the receiving surface.   The valve has a slit,
  The ink according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the valve is opened when the needle is inserted into the ink outlet and the slit is pushed open at the tip of the needle. Supply system.